Boston a boring city? (Cambridge, Quincy: pharmacy, inspections, professionals)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by lrfox

This. I worked 3:30-Midnight for about 1.5 years in my mid-20s about 1/2 hour away from home. By the time I got to the bars where my friends were it would be close to 1. If i was lucky enough to get in, I had time for a round or two and then the night was over. It sucked.

In my 30s now and work regular hours. It's not as important to me to have 24 hour options, but I think it's something we really need to work on here. Boston really is a global city in many ways, but we're hurting in the all-night amenities (not just bars) department. When I travel abroad, I'm terrible at "adjusting" to the local time. Some of my favorite cities are ones that I can go out and eat super late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Heading out at 2, 3, 4 a.m. is a neat way to experience a new place in the "quietest hours." I'll never forget arriving in Tokyo at around 8pm, napping until about 1am, and then going out at 2 to eat and finding places active and open through 5, 6 a.m. New York can be like that. It would be great for students, international visitors, 2nd and 3rd shift workers, and anyone else to have the same opportunities here. We seem to shoot ourselves in the foot every time it's proposed.

It is an adjustment. I was in Brooklyn for shows a couple of months back and each night the second show started at either 11pm or midnight. I was out to 4am each morning as I hit some bars after the show. Killed me though.

But few cities are like that, and Boston is pretty small to moderate sized. Chicago has some 4am places, but they're few and not that great. SF had some places open 23 hrs a day.

I really think if some places here were open that late they'd go out of business fast, honestly.

[stanley-88888888]

people who say boston is boring are the same types that use the word literally to describe everything.

[turf3]

If you get a full time actual job that is not barista or waitress, you will soon find that you don't want to spend all night drinking when you spent all day working.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by timberline742

I really think if some places here were open that late they'd go out of business fast, honestly.

You could be right. But I'd prefer that in this case, the market decided whether or not it was feasible. Between licensing issues, lack of public transit after certain hours, and an early last call/closing time, there's not much to enable a business to stay open 24 hours (or even really late). I tend to agree with you that Boston would never turn into a 24 hour city (most cities on the planet aren't, and it's unfair to expect Boston to be one), but it's not even really an option at this point. I'd be happy with a later last call to start. Many, if not most of the bars that are full until last call now could easily remain close to full for another hour. Late night MBTA service (at least in a very limited capacity) would benefit far more than late night revelers as well.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by lrfox

You could be right. But I'd prefer that in this case, the market decided whether or not it was feasible. Between licensing issues, lack of public transit after certain hours, and an early last call/closing time, there's not much to enable a business to stay open 24 hours (or even really late). I tend to agree with you that Boston would never turn into a 24 hour city (most cities on the planet aren't, and it's unfair to expect Boston to be one), but it's not even really an option at this point. I'd be happy with a later last call to start. Many, if not most of the bars that are full until last call now could easily remain close to full for another hour. Late night MBTA service (at least in a very limited capacity) would benefit far more than late night revelers as well.

Are there any businesses really pushing for it? The industry people (workers) I know certainly don't want it.

And honestly, while I am out to bar time more than most people my age, it's pretty uncommon to see a full place that late here... but I might not be at the right places.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Are there any businesses really pushing for it? The industry people (workers) I know certainly don't want it.

And honestly, while I am out to bar time more than most people my age, it's pretty uncommon to see a full place that late here... but I might not be at the right places.

Honestly, I'm not out until last call enough anymore to really make much of a case either way. I guess my point is just that I think it should be easier in terms of licensing and access (transit) if businesses did want to operate later at night. Boston's adding residences to the downtown area on a relatively large scale. More hotels are coming too. There's not a staggering demand for 24/7 businesses here, but there may be more of one in the near future and I'd like to see the city better prepared for that. Culturally, Boston may never be that city and that's fine. But I don't want the reason to be that it's too hard for a businesses to get the necessary approvals to operate after normal hours.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by timberline742

It is an adjustment. I was in Brooklyn for shows a couple of months back and each night the second show started at either 11pm or midnight. I was out to 4am each morning as I hit some bars after the show. Killed me though.

But few cities are like that, and Boston is pretty small to moderate sized. Chicago has some 4am places, but they're few and not that great. SF had some places open 23 hrs a day.

I really think if some places here were open that late they'd go out of business fast, honestly.

I don't think they'd see much, if any, business at all after 2. Heck, tons of places around here start dying down at 1. I don't buy what some people say, namely that the T shuts down so people want to leave early. I really feel like most of the young crowd takes uber or lyft. I took the T several times in the late night experiement, almost uniformly empty trains (ok, maybe like 4 people on the green line getting on at each stop from govt center to kenmore, a few more people at Harvard Ave). Hardly worth it. The demand just isn't there for super late night activity.

And yeah, that's really ok by me too. I was also in Brooklyn in June. Out at 4 am two nights in a row. It was a good time, but man did I sleep hard when I got back to Boston. I also figure part of the reason I stay out late in NYC and not here is solely just because "oh hey I'm in a new place and this is exciting." I would not have that attitude here.And it's not just because it's NYC. I would probably have tons of fun on any weekend trip I went to any city for. It's just the different environment, I think, that encourages different and perhaps more exciting behavior. My friends that visit me in Boston pretty much all really enjoy their experience.

[hooverphonics]

I am from MA and living now in CO which is the Midwest though the state doesn't like to admit it and it is chock full of Midwesterners and though they are decent people they do tend to think they have a corner on real America and real family values (and WAY into guns) -- and that the coasts are full of degenerates and atheists. There is definitely a level of sophistication I miss here -- a sense of history, a sense of place...and water! And Bostonians are definitely as a whole more interesting, have more character and wit that those out here. Just sayin!

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by hooverphonics

I am from MA and living now in CO which is the Midwest though the state doesn't like to admit it and it is chock full of Midwesterners and though they are decent people they do tend to think they have a corner on real America and real family values (and WAY into guns) -- and that the coasts are full of degenerates and atheists. There is definitely a level of sophistication I miss here -- a sense of history, a sense of place...and water! And Bostonians are definitely as a whole more interesting, have more character and wit that those out here. Just sayin!

LOL @ people who think Colorado is the "Midwest."

You sound quite arrogant too. Maybe dial that down a bit eh?

[timberline742]

Colorado isn't the Midwest (though some people consider the West to start at the Rockies, and it is on the border because most people consider Kansas the Midwest), but places like Denver and Boulder have a large percentage of transplants. It was a super popular destination with Midwesterners relocating (as well as others). Pretty much everyone I knew that moved there loved it.